Advance Praise for The Patterning Instinct

“A tour de force on the biological and psychological background of the human predicament. If you are concerned about our future you should know about our past. This amazing, well-documented book should be read by every college student, and every congressman." – Paul R. Ehrlich, author of Human Natures.

"A brilliant deep dive into the history of human cultures that brings us to today's cultural dysfunctions that threaten the planet. Insight, illumination, and potential ways out of the seeming dead-end that we've walked ourselves into. I would recommend it! – Thom Hartmann, author of The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight.

​"This fascinating, page-turning exploration of the human journey from the stone age to the space shuttle gives us powerful new ways to see ourselves. Deeply researched and written with great clarity and style, this book is also full of hope about humanity’s possibilities in the 21st century." – Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom.

​“In prose that is a joy to read, Lent takes us on a tour of human history, guided by systems theory and cognitive science, to argue for the prominence of culture and the habits of the mind in shaping our collective destiny. If you’ve been too busy for the last twenty years to pay attention to the big ideas about the nature of the human animal, the engines of history, our place in the biosphere, and the shape of things to come, Lent can bring you up to date painlessly.” – J.R. McNeill, , Professor, Georgetown University, and author of Something New Under the Sun.

"This breathtaking book is already a classic. With its unique synthesis of thought history, actual historical events, and cultural patterns, it does what no other work has achieved since Lovejoy’s The Great Chain of Being. Lent explains in one sweeping argument why global civilization has separated from life. And he shows how we can find our way back into it. "Lent narrates the history of humanity’s growing alienation from a shared biosphere and from our own feeling bodies with the suspense and art of a novelist. It is heart-wrenching to see to what degree thought patterns can form not only our worldview, but the actual world, handing it over to destruction. The good message though is: Lent proves that humanity’s destructiveness is not God-given; it is, as any cultural pattern, reversible. That is our chance." – Andreas Weber, author of The Biology of Wonder.

“Shell-shocked liberals and progressives are casting around to explain the political setbacks of 2016. The Patterning Instinct tells us that seeking answers from recent history is likely to prove forlorn; deep-seated patterns in the way we both think and behave have predisposed us to acting in ways that are self-evidently irrational and against our own interests. To have any hope of transforming this perverse and potentially apocalyptic worldview, we will need to dig much deeper into our own history—and this extraordinary book provides an authoritative and inspirational guide.” — Jonathon Porritt, environmentalist and author.

"The Patterning Instinct is a must read for anyone concerned about the future of humanity. The book delves beneath the surface of problems facing our world today to examine the dominant cultural assumptions that lie at their root. The book thoughtfully traces how views about human nature and the natural world in both Eastern and Western culture have shaped history and the how the emerging global culture of connectedness and the systems view of life may hold the key to humanity's evolution and future survival." – Atossa Soltani, Founder and President of Amazon Watch.​"This important and valuable book gets right to the root cause of our current imbalanced system: our collective narrative. Lent shows that by shifting our worldview, we in turn shift our thoughts, actions, habits, culture––and ultimately our world. Take pleasure in Lent's exploration of an integrated worldview that invites you to step beyond your current mental models into a post-dualistic culture. In these times of transition, when the future hangs in the balance, it is stories like this that will help guide the way to success for life on this spaceship Earth." – Amanda Joy Ravenhill, Executive Director, Buckminster Fuller Institute​.​“Eminently readable, entertaining, yet sophisticated and intellectually fascinating… Lent proposes new answers to some age-old questions of human history… In our time of global crisis, which desperately needs guidance through new and life-affirming metaphors, the answers to these questions are more important than ever.” - Fritjof Capra, author of The Systems View Of Life.